Refrigerator



Patented Jan. 31, 1922.

,4 TTORNEYS rATN'r OFFICE.

WILLIAM L HUMMEL, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 31, 1922.

Application ledrFebruary 26, 1921. Serial No. 448,187..

VTo all whom 'it may concern.'

tion. f

My invention relates to improvements in refrigerators, and it consistsin the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described andclaimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a refrigerator having aplurality of compartments and provided with means operable to permit airto circulate freely from compartment to compartment when thecompartments are closed and to prevent the passage of air fromV anycompartment therein to the adjacent compartments when the door of thatparticular compartment is opened.

A further object of my inventiony is to provide a device of thetype'described having means operated by the operation of a closure of aselected compartment to close the airpassages leading from thecompartment. to the adjacent compartments. A. further object offmyinvention is to provide a device of the vtype described that is rcl atively simple in construction an d :operation, not likely to get out'oforder easily, and thoroughly practical commercially.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed outin the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part ofthis application, in which-- Figure l is a. vertical Section, through afragmentary portion of the casing of a. refrigerator embodying myinvention along the line 1.-1 of Figure 2, a portion thereof beingbroken away and shown in section, and

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

In carrying out my invention, I make use of a refrigerator casing 1 thatmay be of any approved construction and is provided with a plurality ofhorizontal shelves or partitions 2 supported in any suitable manner, asby means of brackets 3 to provide a plurality of compartments, such asdenoted at 4 and 5. The casing 1 is fashioned to provide an opening 6to` afford access to the Uintegral partof the casing 1.

. number compartment 4 and is formed with a similar opening 7 for' thecompartment 5. A closure 8 is formed with a flange 9 hinged atlO to acommon frame member 11 that may be an It is to be noted that the innerwall of the closure 8 is flush with the inner `wall ofthe frame member11 when the closure' 8 is in closed position. ,A similar closure 12 forthe open,

also flush. When in closed `position with' the inner wall of the framemember 11,

the closures may be each releasably maintained in closed .position byycooperating catch members denoted by 14 and15, carried by the framemembers and the closurerand which may be of any suitable construction..

The upper of the shelves or partitions 2 shown, is preferably arrangedsubstantially liush with the upper wall of Vthe frame member 11. Each ofthe shelves'or partitions ,2 is fashioned with a pluralityvomfvertically extending spacedfapart openings 16 adapted to normallyregister with a like of correspondingly positioned openings 17 through.a slide or shutter 18 that is maintained in slidable contact with theunder surface thereof by means of parallel guiding and retaining members19-19. The latter are secured to the shelves or partitions 2 |by anysuitable means, none being shown. j

l Each partition'is fashioned with a guide slot 2O intermediate its sideedges in which works a double acting curved lever 2l that isintermediately pivoted at 22 to the shutter or Vslide 18.

F rom the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, theoperation thereof may be readily understood. A compression spring 23disposed between a `flange 24, that is integral with the shutter orslide 18 along its rear edge, and the adjacent bracket 3, tends to forcethe slide orl shutter 18`toward the kfront wall of the Vcasing 1 so thatthe openings 17 no longer register with the openings 16 and consequentlythe passage of a fluid, such as air, from one compartment to theadjacent compartment' is prevented when the closures 8 and.. l2 are inclosed position, on account of the stress to which the double actinglever 2l is subjected at the opposite ends thereof. When the closures 8and l2 are in closed position, air or like fluid can circulatefreely'through the compartments as the openings 16 and 1.7 are then inregistry. The curved lever 21 is substantially semi-elliptical in formand carries rollers 25 and 26 which, as hereinbefore stated, arenormally maintained in constant contact with the inner surface of theclosures 8 and l2 by the action of the spring 23. The frame member l1 iscut away at 27 along its lower inner edge to receive the adiacentportion of the lever 2l when the closure 12 is moved into open position.

lVhile l have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in which thecompartments lof the refrigerator are formed by the provision ofhorizontal partitions and the closures are hinged at their lower edgesto the casing, it is obvious that I may construct the device withvertical partitions therein and with closures hinged to the casing alongside edges thereof withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of theinvention, as set Vforth in thek .foregoing disclosure and outlinedinore particularly in the appended claims. l

The utility of the device is at once ap- Yparent, since it makes foreconomy. As

eachcompartmentis opened, the communieating passages leading from thatcoinpart nient to the adjacent compartments are partments containing iceor other means for lowering the temperature within the refrigerator ispermitted to circulate freely through all the compartments.

I claim:

Vl. ln a refrigerator having a perforated partition arranged therein todivide the casing into compartments, each of said compartments having anopening in its front wall and aclosurefor said opening,a shutterarranged to slidably contact with said partition and forvmoveinentthereacross, said shutter being formed with a plurality of openingstherethrough adapted to register with the openings through saidpartition when said shutter is in a certain position relative thereto, aspring arrangedfto engage said shutter to tend to move the latter towardthe front wall of the casing, and a double acting lever iiiterinediatelyfulcrumed on the shutterand having its ends bearing against the closureswhen the latter are in closed positions, whereby movement of the shutteron account of the action of the spring is prevented when the closuresare closed and permitted when the closures are opened.

2. A refrigerator comprising a perforated partition removably disposedtherein, a door disposed above and below said partition, a perforatedshutter slidably disposed below said partition, yieldable means yformoving said shutter towards said doors, a lever ful ciuined to saidshutter,rollers disposed at Veach end of said lever and beingadapted toengage said doors when said doors' are closed, the openings in saidpartition and said .shutter being disposed in alinement when said doorsare closed and beingdisposed out of alineinent when either one of saiddoors is opened.

WILLIAM L. HUMMEL.

